Greenwood Heights, self-similarity, and the edge of chaos.

"Let us now consider the fractured geometry of the Romanesco Broccoli..."

I got excited today. I stumbled upon an almost exact visual representation for my concept set design of this new Japanese reality TV game show I have been developing... "1, 2, 3, KOMAT'SU!

What are the mathematical odds!

The pitch: 1) Intoxicated strangers, (the contestants) are followed home after a night of heavy drinking, then after they pass out, they are carefully transported by us, still in their actual beds, from their bedrooms, without their knowledge, and relocated to a nearby construction site. 2) Soundly asleep, game show hosts blow obnoxiously loud and annoying air horn sirens awakening the dislocated contestants. 3) These stunned and disoriented game players are then reassuringly directed by close family members to run quickly through a door way, only to stumble down into a muddy excavation pit.

Komat'su!

Trapped and confused, contestants are terrorized, hilariously, in their pajamas, by a large piece of funny sounding construction equipment. Hence the name.

There are no prizes awarded. Remember this is actually more for viral Internet exhibition rather than a traditional-major-network-game-show-type-competition.

Self-similarity

668 6th Avenue Realty Corp. has plans on building a fifty foot tall four story four family residence on this 25 foot wide slice of Greenwood Heights heaven.

Know why I'm excited again? Because of the architectural firm contracted to do the work... Fractual Architecture, PLLC! Granted I am not yet familiar with the work of Mr. Hernan J. Galvis and his firm, but the name "Fractal Architecture" has certainly tweaked my curiosity.

Fractal geometry, my dear reader, is the formal study of mathematical shapes that display a progression of never-ending, self-similar, meandering detail from the infinitely gigantic to microscopically tiny scales. For example, take a long strip of paper, fold it in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, then fold that half in half, on and on and on and on and on and on forever and ever in infinite iteration, not unlike our crudites extraordinaire, the Romanesco Broccoli.

The edge of chaos.

Applying these geometric mathematical principles to south Brooklyn's architecturally disordered chaos will be a challenge to say the least. Please don't disappoint us Mr. Hernan.


UPDATE: April 1st, 2009

I seldom update my posts but in this case I ought. I misspelled the name of the Architectural firm designing this site. It's "Fractal Architecture", not "Fractual Architecture"... Which cracks me up, because fractually speaking, I am familiar with Mr. Hernan's work. He designed 558 5th Avenue, that dark Modern fortress of a condo next to Domino's Pizza. Ring a bell? Try this link.

http://www.gateliers.com/admin/showProject.php?id_project=1